Artists taking the lead - a major project for London 2012 led by Arts Council England - challenged artists to submit their big ideas for twelve commissions across the country totalling £5.4 million. 2163 ideas have been received, for projects ranging from sculptures and new public landmarks to compositions, festivals, musicals and spectacular outdoor events.
 
Moira Sinclair, Executive Director, Arts Council England, London said: ‘I know the UK is a world leader in culture, but even so I’m bowled over by the number of unique and inspiring responses we’ve received.
‘They represent an enormous range of artists and artforms and really capture the spirit of this project, which is to see artists leading us in celebrating London 2012. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for each nation and region of the UK.’
Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Chairman commented: 'The Cultural Olympiad is about making the most of London 2012 to inspire new artistic, as well as sporting, achievement. The huge response to this project gives a flavour of the great things to come.’
Panels of artists across the UK are now in the process of judging the applications and choosing a shortlist for each of the nine English regions, and the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Arts Council England will announce the shortlisted projects in early August, followed by the final commissions in the Autumn.
Each of the 12 winning artists will receive up to £500,000*, making this the largest commission fund for the Cultural Olympiad. For full details, see www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk
Press contacts
For press information please contact Sophie Woodward on 020 7608 4149 or sophie.woodward@artscouncil.org.uk
Notes to Editors
Artists taking the lead is one of the major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Arts Council England is managing the project on behalf of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Scottish Arts Council and the Arts Council of Wales.
*Twelve commissions will be awarded, one in each of the English regions, and the Nations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The value of the commissions awarded to the chosen artists will be:
9 x English regions               £500,000 each
Northern Ireland                     £190,000
Scotland                                 £460,000
Wales                                     £230,000
Artists had between 19 March and 29 May 2009 to submit their ideas online at www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk, in which time a total of 2163 submissions were received across the UK. The breakdown across the nations and regions was:

• East – 115
• East Midlands – 119
• London – 732
• North East – 80
• North West – 172
• Northern Ireland – 67
• Scotland – 98
• South East – 210
• South West – 239
• Wales – 65
• West Midlands – 133
• Yorkshire – 133

 Arts Council England and London 2012 will announce the shortlisted artists in early August 2009, and the final twelve commissions in Autumn 2009. The successful commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011, and all twelve will form part of a final unifying celebration before the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives. As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts. Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.
Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk